1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to fan case assembly drainage, and more particularly to fan case assembly drainage in a turbofan engine.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditionally, a turbo fan engine for an aircraft has a turbine that drives fan blades to draw air into the engine as the turbine rotates. The fan blades are contained by a stationary fan containment case assembly that includes an outer case and a series of radially inward facing liners. Fan containment case assemblies are generally designed to drain water that enters the liner system through acoustic holes out of the fan case. Drain holes are generally located on the forward and aft sides of the containment portion of the case. Traditional drainage designs include drainage tubes routed under the ice liner core of the containment portion of the case to transport water out of the containment portion of the case in order to drain from a less critical structural region. Drainage tubes can be expensive and difficult to bond in the correct location.
The containment portion of the case is generally more structurally critical due to various requirements by the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulatory agencies, such as the requirement that any fan blade that fails must be contained within the engine casing. This requirement generally requires that the containment portion be designed to resist the impact of a fan blade in the event that a fan blade, or a portion thereof, fails, moves radially outward, and strikes the containment portion of the case.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for improved drainage systems for fan case assemblies.